The invention relates to an apparatus for transporting folding package material forms in the tobacco-processing industry, particularly carton forms for cigarette hard packs that have been scored or pre-punched along fold lines, from a feed station to a processing station by means of a rotary table.
An apparatus of this type, disclosed in DE-OS 19 703 069, is typically integrated into a work process and for encasing block-shaped groups of cigarettes to produce so-called hinged-lid packages. The package material forms prepared in this manner are guided to a foil-encased block of cigarettes with a flat, horizontal orientation, so they can be positioned relative to the cigarette groups for successive packaging operations.
The stage-wise rotational movement of the rotary table, which involves acceleration and deceleration phases, can lead to misalignments, particularly vertical misalignments, or buckling of surface regions of the package material forms, which are already weakened in their inherent rigidity due to notching and scoring. These problems can impede the packaging process.
It is an object of the invention to implement the transport process and the positioning of the package material forms more reliably.
In accordance with the invention, this object is accomplished in that the rotary table, which rotates about an essentially vertical axis, is provided with at least one receiving platform that is limited by lateral holders, with at least one lateral holder being movable out of a feeding position into a holding position, relative to a respective oppositely-located lateral holder.
Within the scope of the invention, it is conceivable to provide a lateral holder that moves with linear guidance relative to the stationary lateral holder. A preferred modification according to the invention, however, provides that the feeding and holding positions are respectively defined by open or closed pivoting positions of the lateral holders.
According to a further proposal, the package material form can be securely held if the pivotable lateral holder is provided with a retaining groove having a run-in slant.
According to a further modification, the secure gripping and positioning is further supported by the provision of a plurality of superposed retaining notches for the stationary lateral holder that cooperates with the movable lateral holder.
In a double platform formed by two receiving platforms, the respective inside, stationary lateral holders cooperate with outside, movable lateral holders.
To utilize existing processing elements, it is further proposed that the movable lateral holder be connected to a base holder that pivots about a stationary axis.
The advantage attained with the invention is that the defined lateral holding of the forms allows them to be reliably transported, bound together, into the horizontal position. In the feed station, a greater tolerance range due to the open position of the lateral holder facilitates the deposit of the forms onto the rotary table, and in the processing station, the secure capture and orientation of the forms with respect to the stationary lateral holder assures their exact positioning relative to a block of cigarettes to be combined with the form.